tcookie

This is Really Just a Media spot on my experience Here since I'm back and all.
 
So here I am back again and when I say again I actually mean this is my third attempt at returning but this time it just feels different for some reason I'm not even sure why. The Other Day it was like four in the morning and I was having trouble falling asleep when that happens my mind likes to wander and it went back to 2018/19 which was when I joined the VHL and was active for nearly a year, I believe it was an ad on the BBGM Reddit that first introduced me to the VHL It reminded me of Be a Pro mode which I had good memories of when it was good. So I joined up and on December 10th, 2018 Early in the morning while I waited for the bus to school I created my first and only good player to Date ( Mathiesen will be on par or better I promise) 
Jack Lynch a Right Winger from Winnipeg a player who was based on Myself somewhat. 
 
When I first joined the VHL I had just moved that summer to a new town and wasn't really close friends with anyone there yet so the VHL gave me something to do in my free time. Lynch was drafted either 20th or 24th by Ottawa in S64 VHLM draft (player page says 24th while draft page says 20th honestly can't remember where either but it was somewhere in the 4th round), One thing I remember about that Ottawa team was its great locker room and how helpful everybody was it is probably a big reason  I stayed around so shoutout to diamond_ace and everybody else apart of that team (I was looking back at my messages in the discord and I didn't remember it all but apparently I had problems with the OTT gm that come after DA for bringing non-ottawa guys into the team discord its funny to look back on now). 
 
Lynch started off his career pretty well for in the first game of the season and his career he scored a goal and was named the third star in a great 4-2 win against Las Vegas, He would go on to score 46 points (12 Goals & 36 assists) that season helping Ottawa to a 3rd place finish in a heated 3-way race between us 2nd placed Halifax and the top seeded Las Vegas Aces, Oslo and Saskatoon would fight off in a wild card round to see who would have the honour of getting Swept by Las Vegas, Oslo ended up getting that honour meanwhile the actually noteworthy semi finals series was between Ottawa and Halifax there was only a 4 point difference between the two teams in the regular season ( Halifax's 106 points to Ottawa's 102) HAL took game 1 6-4 and proceeded to take game 2 3-2 and looked ready to move past us then and there, we were able to take the 3rd game 5-4 but Halifax struck back and took a 3-1 lead after beating us 4-2 in game 5 halifax was looking to take this game and move on already meanwhile we were fighting for survival and that created a intense game which after 60 minutes was tied 6-6 where Don Draper secured the win and a game 6 for Ottawa with a powerplay Goal Unfortunately for us Halifax would get 7 in past us the next game and take the series Lynch would finish 4 points (1 goal 3 assists) in that series.
 
 Las Vegas would end up beating Halifax in 6 to lift the Cup while I made the decision to stay in the VHLM for another season and Lynch would be picked by Davos at 16th in the S65 VHL draft, Ottawa would lose several key players to that draft (in fact the whole top 5 of that draft played for OTT in S64) which meant well Lynch was kinda carrying the team the Ottawa front office saw no reason to keep Lynch around as this would be his last season in the VHLM and they were a middling team with him so he was traded to one of the new expansion teams for that off-season the VHLM had made a of couple changes like the storm moving from Oslo to Minnesota while Philidelphia and Houston would get teams in the Reapers and Bulls.
 
Houston Would Send Blake Laughton, S67 1st and 4th round Picks in exchange For Lynch ( who was averaging over a point a game at that point)
The Trade Would give Houston a great first line of forwards as Jurri, Kirbsson and Lynch were some of the best in the league at their positions(102,108 and 98 points that season respectively), Houston's season did not go as well as they might have hoped for finishing just 3rd and Of course because I need a team to dislike for no reason Lynch and Houston would end up facing Halifax in the 2nd round Where they would be down 2-0 after 2 games and it all seemed like deja vu for lynch as Houston would take game 3 only to lose the next and put them down 3-1 we where able to take games 5 and 6 and looked ready to pull off the 3-1 comeback but short losing in game 7 in overtime I'm gonna be real Lynch Dissapeared in that series only 5 points in 7 games for a guy who 98 in 72 in the regular season definitely not a great way to end my career in the VHLM.
 
I was Ready for the VHL and to play, I would never get the chance to play for the Team that drafted Me HC Davos because I would be picked by the Malmo Nighthawks in the S66 expansion draft, Malmo also had a great locker room as expected of an expansion team in their first year we struggled being the worst team in the European conference and we were only slightly better than Seattle Lynch had a pretty decent rookie season getting 28 goals and 35 assists for a total of 63 points although Malmo had a bad first season our future looked promising with the mixture of expansion draft guys and entry draft guys.
 
S67 was much of the same for Malmo and Lynch as The Nighthawks once again found themselves at the bottom of their conference and were the 2nd worst team in the league while Lynch put up 23 goals and 41 assists for 64 points on the season, The next season however would see the rise of Malmo as they would shoot up to the top in their conference and the league as a whole due to some Trades and Free Agency as well as the rise of players already on the Team, Malmo would take down HC Davos in 7 and then proceed to the 2nd round where they beat the Riga Reign in 5 and would advance to the Finals against Seattle where I wish I could tell you they won but that didn't happen Seattle swept us.
 
and that's the end of Lynch really, I was inactive for most of that last year in Malmo which sucks cause it was a good team and I could have probably helped more if I was active, Lynch would then be traded to Riga and almost a 60 point season there (24 goals and 35 assists) and then finished out his career in Seattle as a depth piece all in all he had a solid career in both the VHL 
putting 271 Points in 360 games ( 108 goals and 163 assists) while in the VHLM 144 points in 144 games ( 62 goals and 82 assists) I was surprised that he had exactly a point per game career in the VHLM cool i guess I know I wrote about the VHLM more but that's what I seem to remember the most all good times though.
 
When I first started writing up this media spot to prove to myself I wouldn't just abandon this player like the last two and also for TPE lets be real, I wasn't sure exactly what brought me back to the VHL but now that I've started looking through my messages and posts and also searching for any memories I have of the league I landed on a few things The league is fun of course,
But I really like the community people were so helpful here when I first joined and I'm hoping it hasn't changed either( I doubt it has) cause it seems there have been a lot of changes since I was actually active for example I see there are new attributes now that's gonna be a learning curve for me I'm sure and I'l be ready for it.
 
Anyway I'm excited to be back and I'm gonna be active like I used to be hopefully that's the plan anyway We shall see I guess.
 
Halifax Please don't draft me I'm destined to despise y'all for some reason. (jk draft me if you wanna be disappointed it's sort of a specialty of mine)
 
1,536 words claiming for 3 weeks

For the second straight season, the Malmo Nighthawks have followed up a Victory Cup-winning season with a near-immediate playoff exit, eliminated in five games at the hands of the Moscow Menace. Running it back from S92 with a similar roster - switching out Henry Eagles and Jebediah Big Ol Doinks in Amish for Gregger McKeggegger and Eric Queefson - the Nighthawks got unfortunately similar results, too.
 
This off-season, McKeggegger, Queefson, and Phillip Rave will have their contracts expire and Yaroslav Bogatyrev retired. There is potential for more significant change, although it seems likely the team would prefer to have everyone back. After S94, the Nighthawks will have to attempt to re-sign franchise cornerstones Jacob Stone and Viktor Jensen as well as defenseman Reese McFleury, while franchise netminder Ash Sparks will retire. These next two off-seasons will represent a crossroads for the Nighthawks after back-to-back playoff disappointments. If they can bring back most or all of these key players, they will most likely be able to put together a competitive roster for a long time.
 
The Nighthawks will most likely be a playoff contender once again in S94, but if the Nighthawks fail to perform on the biggest stage for a third straight year, it's entirely possible that the team, their star players, or both will see it as time for a change. Despite the excitement, and ultimately disappointment, of the last two seasons in Malmo, the upcoming season may be the biggest yet.

Nikolas Kauppi is my first-generation player, and I gotta say...I'm proud of what I built. Played 2 seasons in the M, 1 in the E, and the rest all in Prague for the VHL. Had a crazy sophomore slump and was denied the Funk trophy the following season by one vote (yeah I'm still hurt by it ). Continued to be ~80 point producer up until this season. I'll add it up to the slider changes that were implemented, but I'm not complaining. I'm just happy he was finally able to break the 100 point barrier and basically do cartwheels on the ice. I originally intended him to be a power forward, but his hits pale in comparison to those who have a more gritty build. Despite no individual awards (probably not this season either, but I'm not waiting to find out before posting this), Kauppi was a part of Oslo's back-to-back Renaissance Cup wins as well as Prague's first ever Continental Cup. I created Bobbus Dingus, an interviewer who had a strange friendship with Kauppi. I make more graphics than articles, but who's to say Bobbus won't be back for my Thorvaldsson era... It's bitter-sweet as I close out the final chapter of Kauppi, but now it's time for him to retire and learn how to use a 9 iron.

For the second straight season, the Malmo Nighthawks have followed up a Victory Cup-winning season with a near-immediate playoff exit, eliminated in five games at the hands of the Moscow Menace. Running it back from S92 with a similar roster - switching out Henry Eagles and Jebediah Big Ol Doinks in Amish for Gregger McKeggegger and Eric Queefson - the Nighthawks got unfortunately similar results, too.
 
This off-season, McKeggegger, Queefson, and Phillip Rave will have their contracts expire and Yaroslav Bogatyrev retired. There is potential for more significant change, although it seems likely the team would prefer to have everyone back. After S94, the Nighthawks will have to attempt to re-sign franchise cornerstones Jacob Stone and Viktor Jensen as well as defenseman Reese McFleury, while franchise netminder Ash Sparks will retire. These next two off-seasons will represent a crossroads for the Nighthawks after back-to-back playoff disappointments. If they can bring back most or all of these key players, they will most likely be able to put together a competitive roster for a long time.
 
The Nighthawks will most likely be a playoff contender once again in S94, but if the Nighthawks fail to perform on the biggest stage for a third straight year, it's entirely possible that the team, their star players, or both will see it as time for a change. Despite the excitement, and ultimately disappointment, of the last two seasons in Malmo, the upcoming season may be the biggest yet.

Following two consecutive losses on home ice to begin their second round series against the Saskatoon Wild, reports are coming out that some kind of strange ritual took place in the Halifax locker room.  This story comes from sources close to the team who say that following a 3-1 game two loss in the VHLM Playoff Semi-Finals, the Halifax locker room door was locked to all media members and strange noises could be heard echoing through the walls.  When asked to comment about what went on in the dressing room, team representatives called it a simple "team meeting".  By all accounts, this was no ordinary team meeting and many of the reporters who heard the noises were left quite shook.
 
"After the game we saw the management team come down to the locker room.  They went straight in and locked the door behind them.  At first we thought it was just a team meeting like they told us, you know, to tell the players to keep their heads up and stick to the game plan going into game three, but after a few minutes we started hearing odd sounds coming from the room-- stuff that would keep you up at night.  It's hard to describe, honestly." (Larry LeRoy, The Halifax Morning Star)
 
"It sounded like screaming-- not like a coach yelling at the players though, but like blood-curdling screams, and wailing.  Nothing like I've every heard in a hockey rink before." (Logan Lawrence, The Low Down)
 
"At first I thought maybe they were playing some music in there, but they were chanting.  It was very odd and kind of unnerving.  It started softly and they kept getting louder.  That's when the shrieking started.  After a while it stopped, but they still wouldn't let us in, though I'm not sure any of us really wanted to go in at that point." (Lacy Lewis, Fire On Ice)
 
When the door was finally opened, an equipment manager was seen scurrying off with one of the big garbage bins while the rest of the team seemed to resume business as usual as though nothing had happened.  
 
"When they finally let us in it was very eerie.  Everyone in the room seemed to be in good spirits, you know, laughing, joking, they had the blutooth going.  It was like nothing had happened, but we all know what we heard.  Oh, and there was a weird smell, I can't really put a finger on it... maybe bleach?" (Larissa Lacroix, The Crux of the Pucks)
 
Obviously, this is not the kind of story one takes lightly and there is only one question on everyone's lips-- what the hell was going on in there?  For my part, I wasn't present to hear the noises first hand, though I arrived at the room after it had been opened again.  It smelled like a locker room, sure, but there was something else lingering in the air.  It could have been bleach, but it definitely smelled like some kind of strong cleaning agent.  Looking around, I noticed that the floor was wet on top of the big Halifax logo in the center of the room.  I didn't see a mop anywhere, but it seemed like that area had just been cleaned.  Some of the other reporters I was with commented that a number of players seemed to have blood splattered on their white jerseys, though it is hard to say where it came from.  This is the playoffs, after all, and we know things can get pretty brutal on the ice. It's a noteworthy observation, nonetheless.
 

 
I reached out to Halifax General Manager Lexie Leitner for comment.  She didn't seem eager to reveal much about the "meeting" except to say that the team was in good spirits and ready for the next game.  I pressed on and asked her to comment on the reports of screaming and strange chanting coming from the room.  Her answer to this question was very interesting indeed.
 
"Well, you know, we just needed to take care of a few things.  It's an infernal-- excuse me-- internal matter so I can't comment on details, but I think the bottom line is the team is going to come out next game and play like they're possessed, you know?  If we're going to have a chance at coming back in this series, we're going to need our players smelling blood." (Lexie Leitner, Halifax 21st GM)
 
Out of context, perhaps we might think nothing of this statement from the rookie GM, but with everything that transpired in the postgame and the ominous signs-- the writing on the wall, so to speak-- her choice of words was a little hair raising, to say the least.  Was something truly nefarious happening in the Halifax locker room?  Could they have been engaged in some kind of occult ritual, perhaps even some kind of sacrifice?
 

 
I did some more follow up with a few others around the team who claimed to have heard the noises and they had more to say.  By way of a caveat, I don't know these witnesses well enough to certify their credibility so I can only offer their  testimony with a grain of salt-- that's blessed salt just so we're clear.  One source said they heard a name being chanted over and over-- Simon.  If true, who is Simon?  Nobody on the team or in the organization goes by that name so I really can't say what that could mean.  Another source said that the same equipment manager who ran off with the garbage bin was seen midway through the 3rd period carrying some kind of animal and that they saw what looked like horns sticking out of the bin as he ran off with it.  Another source seemed convinced that something had happened to John Season @dylanjj37 since the last time he was seen was when the team left the ice after the final horn.  I can confirm that Season was not present with the team in the locker room once the doors opened, but anything more is pure speculation.  Suffice it to say, there are more questions than answers and Jeopardy seems to be the jeu du jour.
 
...And now that I think of it, here's one more question: did you read the story about Maple Dogwood's Sauna Snafu?  According to the article's author, Dogwood @dogwoodmaple "accidentally" melted the ice surface in Halifax before the start of round two, mistaking the ice temperature control panel for the sauna thermostat.  The result was massive flooding across the lower levels of the building.  Luckily, the arena crew was able get the water under control and re-freeze the ice surface in time for game one, but I've yet to hear an explanation for why the tunnel leading from the 21st locker room to the ice surface has become an honest-to-god pond full of frogs.  Look, I've seen my fair share of horror movies and I don't need to be told that creepy secret rituals and frog infestations are bad omens.  This thing has the 10 plagues of Egypt written all over it and I don't want to stick around for when Azrael decides to show up!  
 

 
Okay, okay, it's possible we're sensationalizing this and blowing it all out of proportion.  Who knows, maybe it's nothing more than a quirky team-bonding exercise, an unfortunate flood, and a few rapidly breeding amphibians.  On the other hand, maybe it's something much more sinister...  Games three and four between the Halifax 21st and the Saskatoon Wild go tomorrow and only time will tell if something evil is afoot!  
 
༻⛧༺
Lauren Lambert for VHL.com

1) I figured we'd be really good again. Who actually ends up #1 overall in the league can be a little random so I wouldn't say I expected anything other than to be among the team's contending for that spot.
 
2) Either Jacob Stone or Ash Sparks. We allow the fewest goals in the league so let's go with either the #1 d-man on the league's best defense (and one of our leading scorers as well), or the goalie who's keeping all the pucks out. Sparks is right up there among the league leaders in GAA, SV%, shutouts, wins... it probably doesn't hold up to Summers' season when it comes to winning league awards but he's clearly been great this year.
 
3) Cooled off more than I'd hoped in the second half of the season, but all-in-all it was a pretty good year, a step up from my rookie season. Hope to continue the progress next season.
 
4) Chocolate chip cookie dough.
 
5) The Jets are my team, so them, but if I had to pick anyone else, probably Edmonton simply because McDavid deserves a cup.
 
6) I should get a few points out of Skor McFleury winning awards at least. Most of the rest are not looking great.

S93 has come to a close after a really tight race for the top of the standings all season long. The end result was fairly unexpected for the majority of the VHL- when the Malmo Nighthawks overcame all odds and became back-to-back Victory Cup winners! (..again!)
This is an impressive feat that hasn’t happened since the HC Davos Dynamo did it back in S90 and S91. 
The Nighthawks finished with 6 players over a point per game. Primarily led by their forward Viktor Jensen (35G 59A 94P) and defensemen Jacob Stone (25G 62A 87P) who were both dynamic offensively and defensively yet again.
Malmo also seen another really strong performance from their Captain and goaltender, Ash Sparks, who put up some great numbers. Sparks finished 1st overall in Wins league wide with 45 wins (64GP: 45W-15L-4OTL), 5th in save% with a 0.924, 1st in GAA with a 2.41, and 2nd in shutouts with 6. 
The combined efforts throughout the entire lineup has resulted in this team achieving a rare and impressive feat- but only time will tell if the “Victory Cup curse” can be broken by this repeat Victory Cup winning Nighthawks roster.
 
(193 words)

Idk, everyone else was doing it.

PLAYOFFS BABY!!! GOOOO NIGHTHAWKS!!!
🔥⚡️

So sorry for your loss. I'm glad the VHL is able to be some sort of outlet for you... that can be important during such difficult times.

After a long, hard-fought battle with cancer, Mama Sike decided it was time to rest. Thank you VHL for providing an outlet for me in this difficult time.

The Malmo Nighthawks have clinched their second straight Victory Cup, wrapping up the season with wins over the Los Angeles Stars and New York Americans to post a 51-17-4 record, three points ahead of the Seattle Bears for first overall in the VHL. The Nighthawks went 17-3 in their last 20 games, breaking open what was once one of the tightest European Conference races we've ever seen.
 
Centre Viktor Jensen led the team in scoring with 94 points while defenseman Jacob Stone put up 87 points, 223 hits, and 164 blocks and between the pipes, Ash Sparks authored another fine season going 45-15-4 with a .924 SV%, 2.41 GAA, and 6 shutouts.
 
Last season, the Nighthawks won the Victory Cup but followed it up by failing to win a single game in the post-season. "The Victory Cup is nice, but it's not the goal. At the end of the day it's not worth much if you don't get it done in the playoffs, and obviously last year couldn't have gone much worse in that regard. We don't want a repeat of that," said centre Phillip Rave.
 
The Nighthawks will face the winner of the wildcard series between the Moscow Menace and Warsaw Predators.

An archive of all of my written work and graphic posts so far on the forum. I did this mostly for myself so I could work backwards and reformat some of the older articles and keep track of series names and such.  The pieces below are ordered by date posted-- newest to oldest. Feel free to read or if you have any ideas for articles, I'm happy to discuss a request or collab!  
 
Pier 21: 
Pier 21: Season 93 Halifax 21st Team Awards
Pier 21: A Sacrifice to Simon
Pier 21: Into Deeper Waters
Pier 21: Full Steam Ahead
Pier 21: S93 Halifax 21st Official Roster Announcement
Pier 21: Landfall
Pier 21: Hello Halifax!
 
Halifax SuperSailor: 
Halifax SuperSailor #7 (S93 Playoffs Round 2): Maple Dogwood
Halifax SuperSailor #6 (S93 Playoffs Round 1): Andrew Skilton
Halifax SuperSailor #5 (S93 Week 5): Jon Webber III
Halifax SuperSailor #4 (S93 Week 4): John Season
Halifax SuperSailor #3 (S93 Week 3): Dorji Khan
Halifax SuperSailor #2 (S93 Week 2): Maple Dogwood
Halifax SuperSailor #1 (S93 Week 1): Alexandr Novotny
 
Lucy Leitner:
Lucy "Little Bites" Leitner
Lightspeed: Lucy Leitner
Breaking the 4th Wall: Season 92 and Draft Reflective
Pre-Draft Report: Lucy Leitner
Prospect Deep Dive: Lucy Leitner
Lightbringer: Lucy Leitner
Prospect Profile: Lucy Leitner
 
Running With the Bulls: 
Running With the Bulls: Tempting Fate
Running With the Bulls: Lange Lines
Running With the Bulls: Tending to Controversy
Running With the Bulls: H-Town Heat
Running With the Bulls: Tinker Tyler Sidney Spy
Running With the Bulls: BensonGPT
Running With the Bulls: Valtr Bílý
Running With the Bulls: Green...ish
Running With the Bulls: The Heisenberg Principle
Running With the Bulls: S92 Roster Primer

VSN Articles: 
VSN Presents - S92 Junior Showcase Tournament Recap
VSN Presents - The Season 92 Junior Showcase Tournament
 
Miscellaneous:
VHLM Playoffs: Round 2 Preview
Game 7 Prediction: Mexico City vs Miami Marauders
6-6-6 . . . 7? Predictions for Tonights VHLM Playoff Games
S92 VHLM Playoffs Preview
3 Midseason Signings Playing Big Roles for VHLM Teams
S92 VHLM All-Star Selections
S92 VHLM Trade Deadline: Top 3 Trades
S92 VHLM First Team All-Stars
3 VHLM Players to Watch in Week 3
3 VHLM Rookies to Watch in Week 2
 
Graphics:
Halifax 21st Re-brand: Halifax Foxes
VUT Player Card
Lucy Leitner Signature Graphic
 

The Malmo Nighthawks have clinched their second straight Victory Cup, wrapping up the season with wins over the Los Angeles Stars and New York Americans to post a 51-17-4 record, three points ahead of the Seattle Bears for first overall in the VHL. The Nighthawks went 17-3 in their last 20 games, breaking open what was once one of the tightest European Conference races we've ever seen.
 
Centre Viktor Jensen led the team in scoring with 94 points while defenseman Jacob Stone put up 87 points, 223 hits, and 164 blocks and between the pipes, Ash Sparks authored another fine season going 45-15-4 with a .924 SV%, 2.41 GAA, and 6 shutouts.
 
Last season, the Nighthawks won the Victory Cup but followed it up by failing to win a single game in the post-season. "The Victory Cup is nice, but it's not the goal. At the end of the day it's not worth much if you don't get it done in the playoffs, and obviously last year couldn't have gone much worse in that regard. We don't want a repeat of that," said centre Phillip Rave.
 
The Nighthawks will face the winner of the wildcard series between the Moscow Menace and Warsaw Predators.

The Vasteras Iron Eagles currently sit 3rd in the VHLE with 91 points with 4 games remaining. The point scoring lead on the team is held by the electric VHLE rookie Gianfranco Del Rocco @Victor who has 76 points in 68 games.  Second on the team in scoring is rookie defender, Lucy Leitner, with 56 points in 68 games.  With 11 goals and 45 assists, Leitner leads the team in the helpers category, and on paper, 11 goals seems like a respectable number, but a quick glance at Leitner's shooting percentage tells a different story.  Shooting at 3.86% on the season, Leitner's 285 shots on goal are the most by any defender in the VHLE.  When compared to the defender with the next highest shot total, the problem is strikingly clear.  Leitner's former Houston teammate, Benjamin Abenduct @Schnee, has 21 goals on 270 shots, shooting a modest 7.78%.  With 10 more goals than Leitner on fewer shots and a shooting percentage that is still below league average, it becomes obvious why Leitner was approached this week with a sponsorship deal from Little Bites-- you know, like the company that makes mini-muffins?
 
Last season, critics of Leitner referred to her then as a "muffin factory" owing to her apparent inability to convert shots into goals at a rate comparable to her peers.  Though her shooting percentage last season eventually rose to a respectable 8% by the end of the season, it did hover around the 3-4% mark for much of her VHLM rookie campaign.  This time around in the VHLE, there seems to be no such puck luck for Leitner who expressed her frustration with her futile shooting efforts.
 
"My main goal is to help the team win, but when you shoot 285 times and only score 11 goals-- something is wrong with that picture.  The silver lining, I guess, is it got me this sponsorship and the team is still doing fine overall".
 
The sponsorship deal, which is set to pay Leitner $100,000 and a lifetime's supply of Little Bites muffins, was signed on Monday evening before the Iron Eagles would take on the Rome Gladiators in a back-to-back.  Vasteras would eventually take the win in both of those games with Leitner recording the opening goal in the first game, only 5:38 into the 1st period of play.  There were reports of Little Bites' interest in Leitner as a brand ambassador last season until her shooting percentage spiked upward and the "muffin factory" moniker fell out of favor.  This season, however, the muffin factory is back up and running, churning out muffins for goalies to gobble up.  Ever the optimist, Leitner has remained upbeat about the less than flattering comparison and has continued to work on her shot in practice, hoping to shut down muffin production once and for all.  At this time, we don't know if the Little Bites sponsorship would be voided if her shooting percentage eclipsed a certain threshold, but for the time being, Lucy "Little Bites" Leitner is rolling in the dough. 
 
──•~❉᯽❉~•──
Lauren Lambert for VHL.com

So the first thing I had to ask myself is, why? Why would I come back to the league and why now. I wish I had a better answer for you, but it's totally random and not interesting. I have a folder in my bookmarks titled "Sports" and in there was the VHL Link, TSN.ca, Discord, Fantasy Football and Sports Betting. I clicked the wrong one and went here but in turn it technically may have been the right one if you are a VHL lifer. Then I was like, wow when I was 16 (19 years ago) I really enjoyed that place. Now with the odd grey hair coming in, a four year running around and another on the way; it seemed like the worst time to join. But when have I ever done things logically and with much thought? (don't answer that). I'm both excited to see some fresh faces and catch up with some of the guys who made this place what it was. Weird as an original member to come back and feel like the newbie but I might be lost on Point Task stuff. I'll stick to what I do know and then go from there I guess. This is me asking for tips! (Phil, not that type).

@tcookie

With about 20% of the season left to play in S93, contenders in the VHL's European Conference are in the midst of a potentially unprecedented race for playoff positioning. Just a couple of days ago, teams one-through-five in the EU were *all* tied with 36 wins and separated by just two points in the standings overall. For five teams to be so tightly-packed is incredible, and certainly makes for an exciting ride for the fans! The teams aren't just close in terms of points in the standings either, as they have the second-through-sixth place goal differentials in the VHL as well, with a range of +43 to +60. All five teams seem poised to battle it out for positioning right to the bitter end.
 
Malmo Nighthawks
Leading the EU with a 38-15-4 record and 80 points are the Malmo Nighthawks. The Nighthawks have, to an extent, had some issues offensively this season, but they are riding strong team defense and goaltending to a contending spot. Their 190 goals for ranks 8th in the VHL, but their 144 goals against is fewest in the league. Netminder Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro is in the league's top-five in SV% (0.925) and is second among starters in GAA (2.43) and shutouts (4). Viktor Jensen @Advantage is the star of the show offensively, leading the team with 68 points, although Malmo's offense features a pretty balanced attack overall with six players right around or above the PPG mark. All-situations defender Jacob Stone @scoop is having his best year in the VHL, with 67 points, 178 hits, and 138 blocks as the #1 defenseman on the league's best defensive team.
 
London United
The London United are actually tied with Malmo at 80 points, but have one more game played and one fewer win (37-15-6). The United boast a formidable roster that's a little differently-constructed than Malmo. They're a lot more top heavy with less depth, but equally effective, with Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ leading the entire VHL with 102 points and linemate Leonard Triller @Triller with a remarkable 85 points in 58 games himself. London has the sixth-best offense but second-best defense in the VHL, with certified superstar Jesse Teno @aimkin between the pipes. Teno is in the final season of an eight-year VHL career spent entirely with London, and he is authoring yet another excellent campaign.
 
Prague Phantoms
The Prague Phantoms come next, currently one point back of Malmo/London (37-16-5, 79 points). Prague has a bit of a unique roster construction as they have played most of the season with two fewer players than most VHL contenders. The recent pickup of LeBen Aky now leaves them just one defenseman short of a "full" roster. They have not been punished for this, though, as they've been on a roll all year long. Prague has some true star power in the lineup with John Jameson @Frank, Nikolas Kauppi @Tetricide, and Skor McFleury @Alex, and all three players are living up to the hype. Jameson is second in the VHL with 101 points, Kauppi leads the league with 46 goals (93 points), and McFleury leads the league in assists (62) and defenseman scoring (82) points - while being top-5 in hits (231) and blocked shots (185), too.
 
Moscow Menace
The Moscow Menace are fourth in the conference but they, too, are sitting on 37 wins (37-18-3, 77 points) and boast the league's second-best offense with 214 goals for. Moscow are a young team with a roster built similarly to Malmo's in that they're very deep and balanced, and having nine players at the 50-point mark is a testament to that depth. Axle Gunner @Steve has been the team's best player since his rookie season in S91 and continues to improve, having gone from 73 points to 94 to now pacing for 103 this season (83 points in 58 games). On the back end, Leif Reingaard @Zetterberg is having a stellar year with 68 points in 58 games so far. The second-year pro is already one of the league's best offensive blueliners.
 
Warsaw Predators
Warsaw (36-20-3) sits in fifth place, with brick wall Lachlan Summers @kirbithan having a massive part to play in that. Summers was brilliant in S90 for Davos and captured some individual hardware then - he seems poised, now, to fill up that trophy case a little further in his first year outside of Davos. Summers has faced a tougher workload than most starters - the only goalies that have faced more shots are Matthew McCagg, Karl Pederson, and Red Panda who all play for rebuilding teams in LA, Davos, and Riga (for perspective - Summers has 32 wins himself; LA, Davos, and Riga combine for 34 wins all together). Despite facing 260 shots more than the nearest goaltender on a playoff team, he's atop the league with a .935 SV% and also has 4 shutouts. Their offense has been keyed by breakout seasons from their entire top line of King Kisslinger @Kisslinger (88 points in 59 games), Thor Reingaard @N0HBDY (86 points in 59 games), and Maxim Anisimov @McLovin(85 points in 59 games). Their biggest weakness is a lack of depth - they have six players over 56 points, but then nobody else with more than 17 - but they did make a recent move to pick up Sunglasses Joyo @JetsGoalie101 to help remedy that.
 
This will mark the 21st season since the league's expansion to 16 teams, and only twice in that time have teams 1-through-5 in either conference been separated by even less than 10 points: S87 when first-place Davos was separated from fifth-place London by 9 points, and S77 when first-place Chicago was 9 points ahead of fifth-place Vancouver, making this season's race potentially historically-close. For the vast majority of S93 so far, these five teams have not been separated by more than 5 points. Remarkably, the first-through-seventh place teams were only separated by 11 points in S87, so there were higher stakes in that case, as two teams didn't even make the playoffs. Still, if the level of play shown by all five of these teams so far continues through the final 13-15 games, we could be witnessing the hardest-fought battle for positioning within a conference in recent VHL history.
 
---
1032 words, for this week and next

With about 20% of the season left to play in S93, contenders in the VHL's European Conference are in the midst of a potentially unprecedented race for playoff positioning. Just a couple of days ago, teams one-through-five in the EU were *all* tied with 36 wins and separated by just two points in the standings overall. For five teams to be so tightly-packed is incredible, and certainly makes for an exciting ride for the fans! The teams aren't just close in terms of points in the standings either, as they have the second-through-sixth place goal differentials in the VHL as well, with a range of +43 to +60. All five teams seem poised to battle it out for positioning right to the bitter end.
 
Malmo Nighthawks
Leading the EU with a 38-15-4 record and 80 points are the Malmo Nighthawks. The Nighthawks have, to an extent, had some issues offensively this season, but they are riding strong team defense and goaltending to a contending spot. Their 190 goals for ranks 8th in the VHL, but their 144 goals against is fewest in the league. Netminder Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro is in the league's top-five in SV% (0.925) and is second among starters in GAA (2.43) and shutouts (4). Viktor Jensen @Advantage is the star of the show offensively, leading the team with 68 points, although Malmo's offense features a pretty balanced attack overall with six players right around or above the PPG mark. All-situations defender Jacob Stone @scoop is having his best year in the VHL, with 67 points, 178 hits, and 138 blocks as the #1 defenseman on the league's best defensive team.
 
London United
The London United are actually tied with Malmo at 80 points, but have one more game played and one fewer win (37-15-6). The United boast a formidable roster that's a little differently-constructed than Malmo. They're a lot more top heavy with less depth, but equally effective, with Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ leading the entire VHL with 102 points and linemate Leonard Triller @Triller with a remarkable 85 points in 58 games himself. London has the sixth-best offense but second-best defense in the VHL, with certified superstar Jesse Teno @aimkin between the pipes. Teno is in the final season of an eight-year VHL career spent entirely with London, and he is authoring yet another excellent campaign.
 
Prague Phantoms
The Prague Phantoms come next, currently one point back of Malmo/London (37-16-5, 79 points). Prague has a bit of a unique roster construction as they have played most of the season with two fewer players than most VHL contenders. The recent pickup of LeBen Aky now leaves them just one defenseman short of a "full" roster. They have not been punished for this, though, as they've been on a roll all year long. Prague has some true star power in the lineup with John Jameson @Frank, Nikolas Kauppi @Tetricide, and Skor McFleury @Alex, and all three players are living up to the hype. Jameson is second in the VHL with 101 points, Kauppi leads the league with 46 goals (93 points), and McFleury leads the league in assists (62) and defenseman scoring (82) points - while being top-5 in hits (231) and blocked shots (185), too.
 
Moscow Menace
The Moscow Menace are fourth in the conference but they, too, are sitting on 37 wins (37-18-3, 77 points) and boast the league's second-best offense with 214 goals for. Moscow are a young team with a roster built similarly to Malmo's in that they're very deep and balanced, and having nine players at the 50-point mark is a testament to that depth. Axle Gunner @Steve has been the team's best player since his rookie season in S91 and continues to improve, having gone from 73 points to 94 to now pacing for 103 this season (83 points in 58 games). On the back end, Leif Reingaard @Zetterberg is having a stellar year with 68 points in 58 games so far. The second-year pro is already one of the league's best offensive blueliners.
 
Warsaw Predators
Warsaw (36-20-3) sits in fifth place, with brick wall Lachlan Summers @kirbithan having a massive part to play in that. Summers was brilliant in S90 for Davos and captured some individual hardware then - he seems poised, now, to fill up that trophy case a little further in his first year outside of Davos. Summers has faced a tougher workload than most starters - the only goalies that have faced more shots are Matthew McCagg, Karl Pederson, and Red Panda who all play for rebuilding teams in LA, Davos, and Riga (for perspective - Summers has 32 wins himself; LA, Davos, and Riga combine for 34 wins all together). Despite facing 260 shots more than the nearest goaltender on a playoff team, he's atop the league with a .935 SV% and also has 4 shutouts. Their offense has been keyed by breakout seasons from their entire top line of King Kisslinger @Kisslinger (88 points in 59 games), Thor Reingaard @N0HBDY (86 points in 59 games), and Maxim Anisimov @McLovin(85 points in 59 games). Their biggest weakness is a lack of depth - they have six players over 56 points, but then nobody else with more than 17 - but they did make a recent move to pick up Sunglasses Joyo @JetsGoalie101 to help remedy that.
 
This will mark the 21st season since the league's expansion to 16 teams, and only twice in that time have teams 1-through-5 in either conference been separated by even less than 10 points: S87 when first-place Davos was separated from fifth-place London by 9 points, and S77 when first-place Chicago was 9 points ahead of fifth-place Vancouver, making this season's race potentially historically-close. For the vast majority of S93 so far, these five teams have not been separated by more than 5 points. Remarkably, the first-through-seventh place teams were only separated by 11 points in S87, so there were higher stakes in that case, as two teams didn't even make the playoffs. Still, if the level of play shown by all five of these teams so far continues through the final 13-15 games, we could be witnessing the hardest-fought battle for positioning within a conference in recent VHL history.
 
---
1032 words, for this week and next

With about 20% of the season left to play in S93, contenders in the VHL's European Conference are in the midst of a potentially unprecedented race for playoff positioning. Just a couple of days ago, teams one-through-five in the EU were *all* tied with 36 wins and separated by just two points in the standings overall. For five teams to be so tightly-packed is incredible, and certainly makes for an exciting ride for the fans! The teams aren't just close in terms of points in the standings either, as they have the second-through-sixth place goal differentials in the VHL as well, with a range of +43 to +60. All five teams seem poised to battle it out for positioning right to the bitter end.
 
Malmo Nighthawks
Leading the EU with a 38-15-4 record and 80 points are the Malmo Nighthawks. The Nighthawks have, to an extent, had some issues offensively this season, but they are riding strong team defense and goaltending to a contending spot. Their 190 goals for ranks 8th in the VHL, but their 144 goals against is fewest in the league. Netminder Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro is in the league's top-five in SV% (0.925) and is second among starters in GAA (2.43) and shutouts (4). Viktor Jensen @Advantage is the star of the show offensively, leading the team with 68 points, although Malmo's offense features a pretty balanced attack overall with six players right around or above the PPG mark. All-situations defender Jacob Stone @scoop is having his best year in the VHL, with 67 points, 178 hits, and 138 blocks as the #1 defenseman on the league's best defensive team.
 
London United
The London United are actually tied with Malmo at 80 points, but have one more game played and one fewer win (37-15-6). The United boast a formidable roster that's a little differently-constructed than Malmo. They're a lot more top heavy with less depth, but equally effective, with Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ leading the entire VHL with 102 points and linemate Leonard Triller @Triller with a remarkable 85 points in 58 games himself. London has the sixth-best offense but second-best defense in the VHL, with certified superstar Jesse Teno @aimkin between the pipes. Teno is in the final season of an eight-year VHL career spent entirely with London, and he is authoring yet another excellent campaign.
 
Prague Phantoms
The Prague Phantoms come next, currently one point back of Malmo/London (37-16-5, 79 points). Prague has a bit of a unique roster construction as they have played most of the season with two fewer players than most VHL contenders. The recent pickup of LeBen Aky now leaves them just one defenseman short of a "full" roster. They have not been punished for this, though, as they've been on a roll all year long. Prague has some true star power in the lineup with John Jameson @Frank, Nikolas Kauppi @Tetricide, and Skor McFleury @Alex, and all three players are living up to the hype. Jameson is second in the VHL with 101 points, Kauppi leads the league with 46 goals (93 points), and McFleury leads the league in assists (62) and defenseman scoring (82) points - while being top-5 in hits (231) and blocked shots (185), too.
 
Moscow Menace
The Moscow Menace are fourth in the conference but they, too, are sitting on 37 wins (37-18-3, 77 points) and boast the league's second-best offense with 214 goals for. Moscow are a young team with a roster built similarly to Malmo's in that they're very deep and balanced, and having nine players at the 50-point mark is a testament to that depth. Axle Gunner @Steve has been the team's best player since his rookie season in S91 and continues to improve, having gone from 73 points to 94 to now pacing for 103 this season (83 points in 58 games). On the back end, Leif Reingaard @Zetterberg is having a stellar year with 68 points in 58 games so far. The second-year pro is already one of the league's best offensive blueliners.
 
Warsaw Predators
Warsaw (36-20-3) sits in fifth place, with brick wall Lachlan Summers @kirbithan having a massive part to play in that. Summers was brilliant in S90 for Davos and captured some individual hardware then - he seems poised, now, to fill up that trophy case a little further in his first year outside of Davos. Summers has faced a tougher workload than most starters - the only goalies that have faced more shots are Matthew McCagg, Karl Pederson, and Red Panda who all play for rebuilding teams in LA, Davos, and Riga (for perspective - Summers has 32 wins himself; LA, Davos, and Riga combine for 34 wins all together). Despite facing 260 shots more than the nearest goaltender on a playoff team, he's atop the league with a .935 SV% and also has 4 shutouts. Their offense has been keyed by breakout seasons from their entire top line of King Kisslinger @Kisslinger (88 points in 59 games), Thor Reingaard @N0HBDY (86 points in 59 games), and Maxim Anisimov @McLovin(85 points in 59 games). Their biggest weakness is a lack of depth - they have six players over 56 points, but then nobody else with more than 17 - but they did make a recent move to pick up Sunglasses Joyo @JetsGoalie101 to help remedy that.
 
This will mark the 21st season since the league's expansion to 16 teams, and only twice in that time have teams 1-through-5 in either conference been separated by even less than 10 points: S87 when first-place Davos was separated from fifth-place London by 9 points, and S77 when first-place Chicago was 9 points ahead of fifth-place Vancouver, making this season's race potentially historically-close. For the vast majority of S93 so far, these five teams have not been separated by more than 5 points. Remarkably, the first-through-seventh place teams were only separated by 11 points in S87, so there were higher stakes in that case, as two teams didn't even make the playoffs. Still, if the level of play shown by all five of these teams so far continues through the final 13-15 games, we could be witnessing the hardest-fought battle for positioning within a conference in recent VHL history.
 
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1032 words, for this week and next

I was mentioning this in my LR yesterday... Hoping there will be some decent separation soon. 👀 There aren't many games left...
 
This is Kauppi's final season, and he's finally gonna hit 100+ for points 😭 and it's about time. He's got some great support from Jameson and McFleury, so I'm curious to see just how far we go when it comes to playoffs...

With about 20% of the season left to play in S93, contenders in the VHL's European Conference are in the midst of a potentially unprecedented race for playoff positioning. Just a couple of days ago, teams one-through-five in the EU were *all* tied with 36 wins and separated by just two points in the standings overall. For five teams to be so tightly-packed is incredible, and certainly makes for an exciting ride for the fans! The teams aren't just close in terms of points in the standings either, as they have the second-through-sixth place goal differentials in the VHL as well, with a range of +43 to +60. All five teams seem poised to battle it out for positioning right to the bitter end.
 
Malmo Nighthawks
Leading the EU with a 38-15-4 record and 80 points are the Malmo Nighthawks. The Nighthawks have, to an extent, had some issues offensively this season, but they are riding strong team defense and goaltending to a contending spot. Their 190 goals for ranks 8th in the VHL, but their 144 goals against is fewest in the league. Netminder Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro is in the league's top-five in SV% (0.925) and is second among starters in GAA (2.43) and shutouts (4). Viktor Jensen @Advantage is the star of the show offensively, leading the team with 68 points, although Malmo's offense features a pretty balanced attack overall with six players right around or above the PPG mark. All-situations defender Jacob Stone @scoop is having his best year in the VHL, with 67 points, 178 hits, and 138 blocks as the #1 defenseman on the league's best defensive team.
 
London United
The London United are actually tied with Malmo at 80 points, but have one more game played and one fewer win (37-15-6). The United boast a formidable roster that's a little differently-constructed than Malmo. They're a lot more top heavy with less depth, but equally effective, with Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ leading the entire VHL with 102 points and linemate Leonard Triller @Triller with a remarkable 85 points in 58 games himself. London has the sixth-best offense but second-best defense in the VHL, with certified superstar Jesse Teno @aimkin between the pipes. Teno is in the final season of an eight-year VHL career spent entirely with London, and he is authoring yet another excellent campaign.
 
Prague Phantoms
The Prague Phantoms come next, currently one point back of Malmo/London (37-16-5, 79 points). Prague has a bit of a unique roster construction as they have played most of the season with two fewer players than most VHL contenders. The recent pickup of LeBen Aky now leaves them just one defenseman short of a "full" roster. They have not been punished for this, though, as they've been on a roll all year long. Prague has some true star power in the lineup with John Jameson @Frank, Nikolas Kauppi @Tetricide, and Skor McFleury @Alex, and all three players are living up to the hype. Jameson is second in the VHL with 101 points, Kauppi leads the league with 46 goals (93 points), and McFleury leads the league in assists (62) and defenseman scoring (82) points - while being top-5 in hits (231) and blocked shots (185), too.
 
Moscow Menace
The Moscow Menace are fourth in the conference but they, too, are sitting on 37 wins (37-18-3, 77 points) and boast the league's second-best offense with 214 goals for. Moscow are a young team with a roster built similarly to Malmo's in that they're very deep and balanced, and having nine players at the 50-point mark is a testament to that depth. Axle Gunner @Steve has been the team's best player since his rookie season in S91 and continues to improve, having gone from 73 points to 94 to now pacing for 103 this season (83 points in 58 games). On the back end, Leif Reingaard @Zetterberg is having a stellar year with 68 points in 58 games so far. The second-year pro is already one of the league's best offensive blueliners.
 
Warsaw Predators
Warsaw (36-20-3) sits in fifth place, with brick wall Lachlan Summers @kirbithan having a massive part to play in that. Summers was brilliant in S90 for Davos and captured some individual hardware then - he seems poised, now, to fill up that trophy case a little further in his first year outside of Davos. Summers has faced a tougher workload than most starters - the only goalies that have faced more shots are Matthew McCagg, Karl Pederson, and Red Panda who all play for rebuilding teams in LA, Davos, and Riga (for perspective - Summers has 32 wins himself; LA, Davos, and Riga combine for 34 wins all together). Despite facing 260 shots more than the nearest goaltender on a playoff team, he's atop the league with a .935 SV% and also has 4 shutouts. Their offense has been keyed by breakout seasons from their entire top line of King Kisslinger @Kisslinger (88 points in 59 games), Thor Reingaard @N0HBDY (86 points in 59 games), and Maxim Anisimov @McLovin(85 points in 59 games). Their biggest weakness is a lack of depth - they have six players over 56 points, but then nobody else with more than 17 - but they did make a recent move to pick up Sunglasses Joyo @JetsGoalie101 to help remedy that.
 
This will mark the 21st season since the league's expansion to 16 teams, and only twice in that time have teams 1-through-5 in either conference been separated by even less than 10 points: S87 when first-place Davos was separated from fifth-place London by 9 points, and S77 when first-place Chicago was 9 points ahead of fifth-place Vancouver, making this season's race potentially historically-close. For the vast majority of S93 so far, these five teams have not been separated by more than 5 points. Remarkably, the first-through-seventh place teams were only separated by 11 points in S87, so there were higher stakes in that case, as two teams didn't even make the playoffs. Still, if the level of play shown by all five of these teams so far continues through the final 13-15 games, we could be witnessing the hardest-fought battle for positioning within a conference in recent VHL history.
 
---
1032 words, for this week and next

With about 20% of the season left to play in S93, contenders in the VHL's European Conference are in the midst of a potentially unprecedented race for playoff positioning. Just a couple of days ago, teams one-through-five in the EU were *all* tied with 36 wins and separated by just two points in the standings overall. For five teams to be so tightly-packed is incredible, and certainly makes for an exciting ride for the fans! The teams aren't just close in terms of points in the standings either, as they have the second-through-sixth place goal differentials in the VHL as well, with a range of +43 to +60. All five teams seem poised to battle it out for positioning right to the bitter end.
 
Malmo Nighthawks
Leading the EU with a 38-15-4 record and 80 points are the Malmo Nighthawks. The Nighthawks have, to an extent, had some issues offensively this season, but they are riding strong team defense and goaltending to a contending spot. Their 190 goals for ranks 8th in the VHL, but their 144 goals against is fewest in the league. Netminder Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro is in the league's top-five in SV% (0.925) and is second among starters in GAA (2.43) and shutouts (4). Viktor Jensen @Advantage is the star of the show offensively, leading the team with 68 points, although Malmo's offense features a pretty balanced attack overall with six players right around or above the PPG mark. All-situations defender Jacob Stone @scoop is having his best year in the VHL, with 67 points, 178 hits, and 138 blocks as the #1 defenseman on the league's best defensive team.
 
London United
The London United are actually tied with Malmo at 80 points, but have one more game played and one fewer win (37-15-6). The United boast a formidable roster that's a little differently-constructed than Malmo. They're a lot more top heavy with less depth, but equally effective, with Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ leading the entire VHL with 102 points and linemate Leonard Triller @Triller with a remarkable 85 points in 58 games himself. London has the sixth-best offense but second-best defense in the VHL, with certified superstar Jesse Teno @aimkin between the pipes. Teno is in the final season of an eight-year VHL career spent entirely with London, and he is authoring yet another excellent campaign.
 
Prague Phantoms
The Prague Phantoms come next, currently one point back of Malmo/London (37-16-5, 79 points). Prague has a bit of a unique roster construction as they have played most of the season with two fewer players than most VHL contenders. The recent pickup of LeBen Aky now leaves them just one defenseman short of a "full" roster. They have not been punished for this, though, as they've been on a roll all year long. Prague has some true star power in the lineup with John Jameson @Frank, Nikolas Kauppi @Tetricide, and Skor McFleury @Alex, and all three players are living up to the hype. Jameson is second in the VHL with 101 points, Kauppi leads the league with 46 goals (93 points), and McFleury leads the league in assists (62) and defenseman scoring (82) points - while being top-5 in hits (231) and blocked shots (185), too.
 
Moscow Menace
The Moscow Menace are fourth in the conference but they, too, are sitting on 37 wins (37-18-3, 77 points) and boast the league's second-best offense with 214 goals for. Moscow are a young team with a roster built similarly to Malmo's in that they're very deep and balanced, and having nine players at the 50-point mark is a testament to that depth. Axle Gunner @Steve has been the team's best player since his rookie season in S91 and continues to improve, having gone from 73 points to 94 to now pacing for 103 this season (83 points in 58 games). On the back end, Leif Reingaard @Zetterberg is having a stellar year with 68 points in 58 games so far. The second-year pro is already one of the league's best offensive blueliners.
 
Warsaw Predators
Warsaw (36-20-3) sits in fifth place, with brick wall Lachlan Summers @kirbithan having a massive part to play in that. Summers was brilliant in S90 for Davos and captured some individual hardware then - he seems poised, now, to fill up that trophy case a little further in his first year outside of Davos. Summers has faced a tougher workload than most starters - the only goalies that have faced more shots are Matthew McCagg, Karl Pederson, and Red Panda who all play for rebuilding teams in LA, Davos, and Riga (for perspective - Summers has 32 wins himself; LA, Davos, and Riga combine for 34 wins all together). Despite facing 260 shots more than the nearest goaltender on a playoff team, he's atop the league with a .935 SV% and also has 4 shutouts. Their offense has been keyed by breakout seasons from their entire top line of King Kisslinger @Kisslinger (88 points in 59 games), Thor Reingaard @N0HBDY (86 points in 59 games), and Maxim Anisimov @McLovin(85 points in 59 games). Their biggest weakness is a lack of depth - they have six players over 56 points, but then nobody else with more than 17 - but they did make a recent move to pick up Sunglasses Joyo @JetsGoalie101 to help remedy that.
 
This will mark the 21st season since the league's expansion to 16 teams, and only twice in that time have teams 1-through-5 in either conference been separated by even less than 10 points: S87 when first-place Davos was separated from fifth-place London by 9 points, and S77 when first-place Chicago was 9 points ahead of fifth-place Vancouver, making this season's race potentially historically-close. For the vast majority of S93 so far, these five teams have not been separated by more than 5 points. Remarkably, the first-through-seventh place teams were only separated by 11 points in S87, so there were higher stakes in that case, as two teams didn't even make the playoffs. Still, if the level of play shown by all five of these teams so far continues through the final 13-15 games, we could be witnessing the hardest-fought battle for positioning within a conference in recent VHL history.
 
---
1032 words, for this week and next

With about 20% of the season left to play in S93, contenders in the VHL's European Conference are in the midst of a potentially unprecedented race for playoff positioning. Just a couple of days ago, teams one-through-five in the EU were *all* tied with 36 wins and separated by just two points in the standings overall. For five teams to be so tightly-packed is incredible, and certainly makes for an exciting ride for the fans! The teams aren't just close in terms of points in the standings either, as they have the second-through-sixth place goal differentials in the VHL as well, with a range of +43 to +60. All five teams seem poised to battle it out for positioning right to the bitter end.
 
Malmo Nighthawks
Leading the EU with a 38-15-4 record and 80 points are the Malmo Nighthawks. The Nighthawks have, to an extent, had some issues offensively this season, but they are riding strong team defense and goaltending to a contending spot. Their 190 goals for ranks 8th in the VHL, but their 144 goals against is fewest in the league. Netminder Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro is in the league's top-five in SV% (0.925) and is second among starters in GAA (2.43) and shutouts (4). Viktor Jensen @Advantage is the star of the show offensively, leading the team with 68 points, although Malmo's offense features a pretty balanced attack overall with six players right around or above the PPG mark. All-situations defender Jacob Stone @scoop is having his best year in the VHL, with 67 points, 178 hits, and 138 blocks as the #1 defenseman on the league's best defensive team.
 
London United
The London United are actually tied with Malmo at 80 points, but have one more game played and one fewer win (37-15-6). The United boast a formidable roster that's a little differently-constructed than Malmo. They're a lot more top heavy with less depth, but equally effective, with Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ leading the entire VHL with 102 points and linemate Leonard Triller @Triller with a remarkable 85 points in 58 games himself. London has the sixth-best offense but second-best defense in the VHL, with certified superstar Jesse Teno @aimkin between the pipes. Teno is in the final season of an eight-year VHL career spent entirely with London, and he is authoring yet another excellent campaign.
 
Prague Phantoms
The Prague Phantoms come next, currently one point back of Malmo/London (37-16-5, 79 points). Prague has a bit of a unique roster construction as they have played most of the season with two fewer players than most VHL contenders. The recent pickup of LeBen Aky now leaves them just one defenseman short of a "full" roster. They have not been punished for this, though, as they've been on a roll all year long. Prague has some true star power in the lineup with John Jameson @Frank, Nikolas Kauppi @Tetricide, and Skor McFleury @Alex, and all three players are living up to the hype. Jameson is second in the VHL with 101 points, Kauppi leads the league with 46 goals (93 points), and McFleury leads the league in assists (62) and defenseman scoring (82) points - while being top-5 in hits (231) and blocked shots (185), too.
 
Moscow Menace
The Moscow Menace are fourth in the conference but they, too, are sitting on 37 wins (37-18-3, 77 points) and boast the league's second-best offense with 214 goals for. Moscow are a young team with a roster built similarly to Malmo's in that they're very deep and balanced, and having nine players at the 50-point mark is a testament to that depth. Axle Gunner @Steve has been the team's best player since his rookie season in S91 and continues to improve, having gone from 73 points to 94 to now pacing for 103 this season (83 points in 58 games). On the back end, Leif Reingaard @Zetterberg is having a stellar year with 68 points in 58 games so far. The second-year pro is already one of the league's best offensive blueliners.
 
Warsaw Predators
Warsaw (36-20-3) sits in fifth place, with brick wall Lachlan Summers @kirbithan having a massive part to play in that. Summers was brilliant in S90 for Davos and captured some individual hardware then - he seems poised, now, to fill up that trophy case a little further in his first year outside of Davos. Summers has faced a tougher workload than most starters - the only goalies that have faced more shots are Matthew McCagg, Karl Pederson, and Red Panda who all play for rebuilding teams in LA, Davos, and Riga (for perspective - Summers has 32 wins himself; LA, Davos, and Riga combine for 34 wins all together). Despite facing 260 shots more than the nearest goaltender on a playoff team, he's atop the league with a .935 SV% and also has 4 shutouts. Their offense has been keyed by breakout seasons from their entire top line of King Kisslinger @Kisslinger (88 points in 59 games), Thor Reingaard @N0HBDY (86 points in 59 games), and Maxim Anisimov @McLovin(85 points in 59 games). Their biggest weakness is a lack of depth - they have six players over 56 points, but then nobody else with more than 17 - but they did make a recent move to pick up Sunglasses Joyo @JetsGoalie101 to help remedy that.
 
This will mark the 21st season since the league's expansion to 16 teams, and only twice in that time have teams 1-through-5 in either conference been separated by even less than 10 points: S87 when first-place Davos was separated from fifth-place London by 9 points, and S77 when first-place Chicago was 9 points ahead of fifth-place Vancouver, making this season's race potentially historically-close. For the vast majority of S93 so far, these five teams have not been separated by more than 5 points. Remarkably, the first-through-seventh place teams were only separated by 11 points in S87, so there were higher stakes in that case, as two teams didn't even make the playoffs. Still, if the level of play shown by all five of these teams so far continues through the final 13-15 games, we could be witnessing the hardest-fought battle for positioning within a conference in recent VHL history.
 
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1032 words, for this week and next

With about 20% of the season left to play in S93, contenders in the VHL's European Conference are in the midst of a potentially unprecedented race for playoff positioning. Just a couple of days ago, teams one-through-five in the EU were *all* tied with 36 wins and separated by just two points in the standings overall. For five teams to be so tightly-packed is incredible, and certainly makes for an exciting ride for the fans! The teams aren't just close in terms of points in the standings either, as they have the second-through-sixth place goal differentials in the VHL as well, with a range of +43 to +60. All five teams seem poised to battle it out for positioning right to the bitter end.
 
Malmo Nighthawks
Leading the EU with a 38-15-4 record and 80 points are the Malmo Nighthawks. The Nighthawks have, to an extent, had some issues offensively this season, but they are riding strong team defense and goaltending to a contending spot. Their 190 goals for ranks 8th in the VHL, but their 144 goals against is fewest in the league. Netminder Ash Sparks @DarkSpyro is in the league's top-five in SV% (0.925) and is second among starters in GAA (2.43) and shutouts (4). Viktor Jensen @Advantage is the star of the show offensively, leading the team with 68 points, although Malmo's offense features a pretty balanced attack overall with six players right around or above the PPG mark. All-situations defender Jacob Stone @scoop is having his best year in the VHL, with 67 points, 178 hits, and 138 blocks as the #1 defenseman on the league's best defensive team.
 
London United
The London United are actually tied with Malmo at 80 points, but have one more game played and one fewer win (37-15-6). The United boast a formidable roster that's a little differently-constructed than Malmo. They're a lot more top heavy with less depth, but equally effective, with Wann Kerr @VattghernCZ leading the entire VHL with 102 points and linemate Leonard Triller @Triller with a remarkable 85 points in 58 games himself. London has the sixth-best offense but second-best defense in the VHL, with certified superstar Jesse Teno @aimkin between the pipes. Teno is in the final season of an eight-year VHL career spent entirely with London, and he is authoring yet another excellent campaign.
 
Prague Phantoms
The Prague Phantoms come next, currently one point back of Malmo/London (37-16-5, 79 points). Prague has a bit of a unique roster construction as they have played most of the season with two fewer players than most VHL contenders. The recent pickup of LeBen Aky now leaves them just one defenseman short of a "full" roster. They have not been punished for this, though, as they've been on a roll all year long. Prague has some true star power in the lineup with John Jameson @Frank, Nikolas Kauppi @Tetricide, and Skor McFleury @Alex, and all three players are living up to the hype. Jameson is second in the VHL with 101 points, Kauppi leads the league with 46 goals (93 points), and McFleury leads the league in assists (62) and defenseman scoring (82) points - while being top-5 in hits (231) and blocked shots (185), too.
 
Moscow Menace
The Moscow Menace are fourth in the conference but they, too, are sitting on 37 wins (37-18-3, 77 points) and boast the league's second-best offense with 214 goals for. Moscow are a young team with a roster built similarly to Malmo's in that they're very deep and balanced, and having nine players at the 50-point mark is a testament to that depth. Axle Gunner @Steve has been the team's best player since his rookie season in S91 and continues to improve, having gone from 73 points to 94 to now pacing for 103 this season (83 points in 58 games). On the back end, Leif Reingaard @Zetterberg is having a stellar year with 68 points in 58 games so far. The second-year pro is already one of the league's best offensive blueliners.
 
Warsaw Predators
Warsaw (36-20-3) sits in fifth place, with brick wall Lachlan Summers @kirbithan having a massive part to play in that. Summers was brilliant in S90 for Davos and captured some individual hardware then - he seems poised, now, to fill up that trophy case a little further in his first year outside of Davos. Summers has faced a tougher workload than most starters - the only goalies that have faced more shots are Matthew McCagg, Karl Pederson, and Red Panda who all play for rebuilding teams in LA, Davos, and Riga (for perspective - Summers has 32 wins himself; LA, Davos, and Riga combine for 34 wins all together). Despite facing 260 shots more than the nearest goaltender on a playoff team, he's atop the league with a .935 SV% and also has 4 shutouts. Their offense has been keyed by breakout seasons from their entire top line of King Kisslinger @Kisslinger (88 points in 59 games), Thor Reingaard @N0HBDY (86 points in 59 games), and Maxim Anisimov @McLovin(85 points in 59 games). Their biggest weakness is a lack of depth - they have six players over 56 points, but then nobody else with more than 17 - but they did make a recent move to pick up Sunglasses Joyo @JetsGoalie101 to help remedy that.
 
This will mark the 21st season since the league's expansion to 16 teams, and only twice in that time have teams 1-through-5 in either conference been separated by even less than 10 points: S87 when first-place Davos was separated from fifth-place London by 9 points, and S77 when first-place Chicago was 9 points ahead of fifth-place Vancouver, making this season's race potentially historically-close. For the vast majority of S93 so far, these five teams have not been separated by more than 5 points. Remarkably, the first-through-seventh place teams were only separated by 11 points in S87, so there were higher stakes in that case, as two teams didn't even make the playoffs. Still, if the level of play shown by all five of these teams so far continues through the final 13-15 games, we could be witnessing the hardest-fought battle for positioning within a conference in recent VHL history.
 
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1032 words, for this week and next